AEG Moves to Dismiss Class Action Claims Filed by Ozzy Osbourne

July 30, 2018 – Media Mention

Los Angeles Business JournalQuoted

Share This Page

A new chapter in the standoff between Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc. Ozzy Osbourne, a Live Nation client has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles against AEG. Osbourne filed the lawsuit on behalf of fellow music artists who say AEG unlawfully tied them to the “Staples Center commitment.”

Legally, there might be a better case against AEG if the lawsuit was filed by its direct business competitor, Live Nation, instead of Osborne, said Bill Hochberg an entertainment lawyer at Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger.

“But in terms of optics,” Hochberg said. “It’s much better that Ozzy brought it than a big company like Live Nation.”

Los Angeles-based AEG and Live Nation have feuded since at least 2010. The companies are leaders in multiple aspects of live music and sports entertainment: Venue management, ticketing, and talent management. AEG owns multiple venues. Live Nation, meanwhile, has Ticketmaster, the primary ticket shop for 80 percent of the U.S. live entertainment market.